Learning

Job Relations

Job Relations is the Training Within Industry method for leading people and handling problems with them, so a supervisor gets results through people. A practical, in-depth guide.

By Art Smalley

Contents · 7 sections 01

Introduction to Job Relations

Why Job Relations matters, the supervisor's five needs, and the idea that runs through the whole method — a supervisor gets results through people.

Figures: A supervisor gets results through people — the Job Relations line

~8 min 02

Basic Concepts: The Four Foundations for Good Relations

The four foundations that keep relations strong day to day, the action points behind each, and why people must be treated as individuals.

Figures: The four foundations for good relations · What shapes the individual

~9 min 03

The Four-Step Method

Get the facts, weigh and decide, take action, check results — the heart of Job Relations, shown through the Joe Smith case and why the steps cannot be shuffled.

Figures: The Job Relations card · The four steps in sequence

~12 min 04

The Problem Analysis Worksheet

Job Relations has no breakdown sheet — its working tool is the Problem Analysis Worksheet, the four-step method on one page, built to make you deliberate. The Tom case shows how to draw out a person's opinions and feelings.

Figures: The Job Relations Problem Analysis Worksheet · How to get opinions and feelings

~11 min 05

Working Problems

How problems come up, how to head them off while they are small, and individual versus group situations — with the shipyard old-timer and a preventive-action case.

Figures: How problems come up · Two cases compared

~10 min 06

Special Situations

The Job Relations line runs in every direction — to the people supervised, the boss, peers, support groups, customers, and the union — and the same method works on all of them.

Figures: The supervisor's web of relationships

~9 min 07

Summary: Putting It to Work

The two halves of good supervision in one view, why skill comes only from practice, and where Job Relations fits among the TWI programs.

Figures: The method on one page · The three J programs and the five needs

~8 min

More on Job Relations (TWI-JR) at Art of Lean

DefinitionJob Relations (TWI-JR) — TPS Encyclopedia

Sources

TWI Job Relations manual and cards — Training Within Industry Service, 1940s
Isao Kato, retired Toyota manager — TWI and kaizen training courses and course materials